The Filling Station

http://www.fillingstationonline.com/

This popular restaurant can be found in the charming village of Palmyra. Upon arriving, immediately I was made aware that I was an "outsider." The majority of the clientele was clearly composed of regulars, and although they were not rude, they were not openly friendly, either. There was no wait for a table, however, and I was pleased with the prime seating. I was a bit disappointed by the local ads on the place mats; their entertainment factor was somewhat short-lived. I did not see any involving funeral homes or the bowling alley.

The Filling Station's brunch menu was quite robust and I had trouble making my selection. The "Belgium waffle" dish was enticing, as were the "hotcakes." Eventually I settled on the "egg and meat muffin sandwich" with a side of hash browns. The server promptly took my order, though not as amicably as I would have liked. I wished to discuss with her the finer points of hash browns versus home fries but she seemed in a hurry. I was offered my choice of meat on the sandwich, and I settled on bacon.

My dish was served in a timely fashion. However, when the meal was presented to me, I was immediately disappointed to discover that the sandwich was on a regular English muffin, not a meat muffin as I was expecting. Once I moved past this initial letdown, I was pleased at the overall presentation. The sandwich was stacked evenly and the hash browns were in a perfect, rectangular, deep-fried block. Delightfully, it was just as pleasing to the palate as it was to the eyes. The bacon was perfectly crispy and the cheese divinely melted. The block of hash browns was fried to an immaculate golden color with a taste to match. I was pleasantly satisfied with my choice.

Overall, I found the atmosphere at the Filling Station to be a bit lacking, and the menu to be somewhat misleading. Despite this, the food was savory and I did not leave wanting. My only regret was not sampling their tempting donut selection.

3 stars